Here are some easy tips to help you feel more comfortable about giving birth and stop being terrified!
How to not be Scared of Giving birth
How do you deal with your fear of giving birth? I honestly don’t think you get over it completely, being more informed on your options during birth and what to expect helps calm those feelings of being terrified of the unknown.
I am on pregnancy number three and the thought of giving birth scares me, mind you this will be c section number three due to a failed VBAC and breech baby.
Having a c section is no light thing, it has some risks to it, complications that can happen, and the pain afterword is absolutely not fun!!
For more information on how to heal after a c section, this article can help Recovery After C Section
However I am not going to sit here and dwell on the unknown, rather I will stay positive and prepare the best way I can for my hospital stay and postpartum recovery.
The more you dwell on things the worse they seem and the bigger the fear gets, you are wasting energy worrying about something you have little control over.
talk to someone you trust
It’s okay to have fears and worries about giving birth, most women go through this before they go into labor. If it gets overwhelming you need to talk to someone.
- Talk to your doctor or midwife
- Talk to a trusted friend or family member
- Listen to other women’s birth stories – you might come across someone that will share their birth story with you. If it is to much ask them to stop, especially when it isn’t helpful for you to hear.
Prepare yourself for labor and birth
- Take classes on labor and delivery so that you are more prepared and know what to expect. Being in a room with other expecting mothers may help calm your fears.
- Make a birth plan so that you feel more organized and in control, this also helps those in the labor room know your wants and needs ahead of time.
- Prepare your hospital bag ahead of time so that you don’t have to rush and try to pack when the time comes.
- Make a postpartum care kit so that you don’t have to try and get supplies after the baby is born.
prepare yourself mentally
- Think positive about labor and giving birth, your body was made to do this naturally, you may be surprised during labor that your body knows what to do and takes over the process without you having to think about it.
- Pain control is always an option if at any time you feel you can’t handle it you can always ask for something to dull the pain.
- Have support during labor whether it is a doula, your spouse or mom, knowing you have someone with you when you go into labor will help you not be so scared.
- Ready for baby to come out, mentally you will be done being pregnant at some point and labor won’t sound scary because you are ready.
Stay active
Make sure you are doing some kind of exercise to stay fit during your pregnancy. It can be something simple like walking, swimming or even yoga.
The better shape you stay in the easier it will be to go through labor and birth.
positive affirmations
Staying positive and avoiding the negative thoughts throughout your pregnancy will keep you from feeding your fears.
Talk yourself through your labor:
- My body was made to do this
- I can breathe through this contraction
- I am calm and my body is strong and capable
pray
Depending on what you believe, I have found that praying about my fears brings me a sense of calm.
Letting go of that which you cannot control and placing it in God’s all-knowing hands has helped me through many things in my life.
You may find that it works for you too!
listen to calming music
When you feel the fear coming on play calming music to take your mind off of things.
Plan out a music list for labor to help you focus on something else and stay relaxed.
final thoughts on being scared of giving birth
Women have been giving birth for thousands of years, this is nothing new. You are strong and capable of doing this like the women before you.
Things can go wrong but technology has come such a long way that they can avoid a lot of the complications that used to happen.
Rarely does anyone die giving birth anymore, you will survive this and finally get to meet your precious little one. You got this momma!!!
Thank you!:)
Hi Val
Your welcome, so glad that this article helped 🙂